


Wicked Little Town

by Liza1031



Series: K-S-H-C One-Shots (glee) [111]
Category: Glee RPF
Genre: Birth, Birth Podcast, Comfort, Cute, Family Fluff, Husbands, Love, M/M, Marriage, Mpreg, Pregnant Chris Colfer, crisscolfer, labor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:15:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29615538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liza1031/pseuds/Liza1031
Summary: Chris and Darren talk about what it was like to bring their daughter into the world.One-shot based on the song Wicked Little Town from Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Relationships: Chris Colfer/Darren Criss
Series: K-S-H-C One-Shots (glee) [111]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2059374
Kudos: 3





	Wicked Little Town

**Idea give by: Anonymous but I tweaked it**

“Mmmm, is that yummy sweetheart?” Chris was feeding his ten month old mashed bananas for breakfast. Ella was trying to figure out whether she liked the bananas or not. He tilts his head in question while she continues to discover the fruit. “Hmm. I can’t tell by your face.”

Ella then broke out in a smile with bananas all over her mouth and chin, dropping down onto her rubber bib. She babbles at Chris and bangs her hands onto her high chair try, demanding more.

“I guess so.” He scoops another small spoonful and brings it to her mouth. The baby happily takes another bite, smiling at her momma while the mashed bananas gooped out of her mouth and down her chin again.

“Mmm, that’s so yummy huh baby girl?” He leans forward and presses a kiss onto her nose causing her to giggle and clap her hands with joy. “You love getting morning kisses for your momma huh?” She continues to giggle and claps her hands.

Darren walks into the kitchen where his little family was and greeted them both with a kiss. He grabs his usual morning cup of coffee with a dash of almond milk creamer as well as a pre-toasted bagel with cream cheese before settling at the table.

“So, what’s on the agenda today babe?” Darren asks watching his husband feed their little one.

“We’re meeting with Joanna Bryceson for that podcast she runs.” Chris tells him and starts to wipe off his daughter’s face. “She runs that celebrity birthing podcast, Birthing Babes.” He adds, glancing over at his husband.

“Ah yes.” Darren ducks his head forward in a slight nod. “Ready to go back down memory lane and relive your pregnancy again?”

“Yeah.” Chris sighs and gets up, lifting Ella out of her high chair. “Because she comes at the end.” He smiles and tickles her belly causing her to giggle and kick her feet, hiding her face in his neck. “Plus, I think it’s a good way to share our story rather than writing about it on social media.”

“I suppose.” Darren smiles and gets up as well. He puckers his lips and Chris leans Ella forward so she can kiss her daddy but instead he got a banana scented mouth over his nose. “Tank you for da kisses, Ella.” He says in a baby voice and takes her from his husband. “I’ll clean her up and call Ashley while you get dressed.

“Okay. I’ll see you upstairs.” Chris gave Darren a quick peck then jogged upstairs while his husband finished picking up from their late breakfast.

He sets Ella down for a few minutes while he throws the dishes into the dishwasher and quickly wipes down the counter, table, and highchair.

Afterwards, he scoops up his daughter and blows a raspberry onto her belly as the head upstairs resulting in her erupting in a loud fit of giggles that echoes throughout their massive house. He takes her into her room and lays her on her changing table.

“Alright my love first, we are going to change that stinky diaper of yours.” He tickles her belly as he pulls down her little pj pants and removes her shirt, tossing them into her hamper. “And then we’re gonna put a fresh diaper on your tush, then daddy’s gonna pick an outfit for you to wear today before Ashy comes over while me and momma go meet a lady to talk about how you came to be.” He explains.

Darren proceeds to change Ella’s diaper then decides to dress her in a cream colored t-shirt with small navy blue swatches paired with navy blue pants that have white shapes on them. He pulled some white socks onto her chunky feet then picked her back up and walked down the hall to his bedroom.

Chris had just finished getting ready, having put on his glasses and smiled as they came in. He took his now fully dressed daughter and pressed a kiss into her hair while Darren went to get ready himself.

Ten minutes later, Darren was dressed and ready to go. The three of them were now back downstairs waiting for their sitter, Ashley to arrive. She was Darren’s cousin who was currently studying at UCLA and babysits for them to make some extra cash.

Ashley arrived a little past ten and they exchanged quick goodbyes before heading out.

Darren drives them an hour and a half to the building where Joanna hosts her podcast. They walked in hand in hand and took the elevator up to her studio.

When they get to her studio, she welcomes them in with hugs. “Chris, Darren, how are you?” She asked letting go of Chris and hugged Darren.

“We’re good. How are you?” Chris asks.

“Great. I’m so glad you were able to come today and share your birth story with the viewers. I know a lot of people have been requesting it.” She tells them with a smile.

“Well we’re happy to be here.” Chris supplies.

“Alright well if you’ll both follow me, we’ll head to my studio just down the hall. Can I get you guys anything? Water? Coffee? Tea?”

“We’re all set, thanks.”

“Alrighty then well let’s go.”

Chris and Darren follow her to the studio down the hall and she guides them to their seats after introducing them to her producer and sound guy.

She informs them that they’re due to start at noon so she lets them get settled before starting the episode.

Chris and Darren sat beside each other with their headphones on, mics in front of them, waiting for them to start.

Joanna had first taken a sip of her iced tea then got herself settled before looking up at her soundguy. He sent her a nod which she repeated to Chris and Darren then smiled. “Okay, we’re about to start so are you ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Yep.”

“Well first I’ll go over what I usually do for every episode which is thank our sponsors then give a quick summary about last week’s episode and will introduce you two then we’ll go from there okay?”

“Sounds good.” Chris shrugs.

She nods and gets started.

Joanna talks for a good five or six minutes before getting onto introducing the couple.

“Joining us this week are two very special and the most highly requested guests, Chris Colfer and Darren Criss. Chris and Darren welcomed a baby girl a few months back and are here today to share their story on their pregnancy and birthing journey and give us a little glimpse into their personal lives. Chris, Darren, again, welcome to Birthing Babes.”

“Thank you for having us.” Chris says while Darren just nods and smiles.

“So just to reiterate, you two met on your show Glee right and got married after the last season?”

“Yes.” Chris confirms and goes on talking. “We met on the show and our characters ended up together, and there was just so much chemistry between Kurt and Blaine that we both entailed in real life and fell in love with each other.”

“How sweet. So I had heard on the news that it was a rather impromptu proposal?” She asks and glances at Darren as he chuckles to himself.

“Yeah.” He answers. “I didn’t know when to do it and was going back and forth about whether I should wait or not so one weekend I took him to Napa and proposed after a dinner we shared on the mountainside. He was caught off guard completely but said yes”

“Ooh so romantic.” She adds. “Proposal in Napa and where was the wedding?”

“We got married in Santa Barbara at the Botanical Gardens. It was the most beautiful place I think I had ever seen so I was glad that was our wedding location.” Darren says as Chris nods, agreeing with his husband.

“Aww. Well that sounds amazing. I’d have to check it out.”

“Oh my gosh if you ever go there you are going to love it. Even just to spend the long weekend, they have a resort and it’s just the place to be for couples.” Chris adds.

“Wow, I guess I’m gonna have to book my husband and I a mini getaway.”

“Most definitely.”

“Anyway, I think now is a good time to get onto the baby talk. Many of our viewers have been dying to hear your story and I don’t think we should keep them waiting any longer.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want our fans to have a stroke over this.”

“Right.” Joanna laughs. “So Chris would you like to start us off?”

"Sure.” He swallows and begins to share their story. “Darren and I wanted to wait to start trying for a baby. You know, we got engaged during the show and didn’t get married until like a year after the final season. So about six months after we got married, Darren and I decided to naturally try and conceive and after that first time, I got pregnant.”

“Do you remember how it felt when you first found out?”

“Oh yeah, we were so excited. We were crying and laughing and just going through a whirlwind of emotions because we had talked about it for so long and now it was happening.”

“Yeah. When you first find out you’re pregnant is always the best. I remember how my husband felt when I found out I was pregnant with my first. My husband and I had a difficult time trying to conceive and when it finally worked he cried for days because he was just so happy, I think even more than I was.”

“Darren cried for a while.” Chris says, smiling towards his husband. “Well, we both did but how can you not? You know you made a life out of love and it’s like nothing can ever compare to that feeling.”

“Exactly.” She nods. “How was your first trimester?”

“It was okay. As soon as we found out, I had made myself an appointment to meet with an Obstetrician, she’s an amazing woman named Doctor Sawyer Ezra and she was just incredible for us. Anyways, we didn’t share the news with anyone yet because we wanted to confirm that I was actually pregnant plus there was the risk of possibly losing the baby so we kept quiet.” He took a quick sip of his water then continued. “So we went to the doctors and she had told us that I was pregnant and we were able to see our baby when she was literally like a little blob but we were already so in love. It was magical.”

“I bet. It’s always amazing getting to see your baby for the first time and it’s such a crazy thing how they transform more into humans than what they were in the beginning it’s very cool.”

“Oh for sure. After we found out officially you know we went back and forth on when to tell our families because I didn’t want a lot of people knowing only our parents really just in case something were to happen and it wasn’t a shock. So we had decided to just tell our parents first then go from there.”

“Yeah. Did you have any morning sickness?” She asks.

“Yes.” Chris rolls his eyes thinking back to the many mornings and afternoons he spent in their bathroom throwing up nothing but stomach bile. “It was awful but it didn’t last as long as I had expected. In the beginning like halfway through the first month into the second month was brutal but from the second half of my second month through the third month it kinda stayed controlled to a point where I could enjoy going for walks again and drinking water. I couldn’t drink water for so long because it just didn’t agree with me so taking that first sip was so refreshing.” He says. “Darren, you know, he was such an amazing help whenever I would be throwing up. He’d rub my back, hold me in his lap and just help me get through it.”  
“Was it rough watching him go through that for the first few months?” She asks Darren.

“Yes and no. Of course I hated seeing him sick but it wasn’t as bad as seeing him in labor. I did what I could for him to make sure he was taken care of and comfortable going through those first couple of months. But once it passed, we were able to enjoy the rest of the pregnancy.”

She hums, nodding her head. “Now how far along were you when you made that unforgettable announcement on your social media platforms?” She asks.

“Um well when we posted it, I think I was almost five months along but when we first took the picture I was only four and a half months.”

“Ah I see. Were you surprised by the outpour of love and support from your friends and fans?”

“Absolutely. We were sharing a piece of our lives with the world and as much as we would’ve loved to keep it to ourselves, we felt it was right to share that little bit with them. So we had decided to post the photo of our sonogram with the plaque and pregnancy test.”

“I remember when I saw it circulating on twitter, I screamed, like literally I was so happy and so excited for you guys. My daughter got scared because she thought I had hurt myself.”

“Aww poor thing.” Darren laughs.

“Yeah she was like what’s going on and I was like some of mommy’s friends are having a baby and then she got excited and did a little dance even though she has no idea who you are.”

“How adorable.” Chris smiles and reaches over rubbing his husband’s hands. “After our announcement so many of our friends had reached out to give their congratulations and we got sent so many baby gifts from literally everyone. People, companies, brands, you name it we got. It was a bit overwhelming, though, I have to admit, because I wanted to be able to buy what I liked for the baby so we had decided to keep what we wanted and donate the rest.”

“Well that seems fair. I can imagine though it is pretty overwhelming when people want to do so many things for you and give you advice when you don’t want it.”

“Exactly and I don’t want to seem like a rude person or ungrateful but it’s our time to prepare for our baby not everyone else.”

“One hundred percent agree with you there, Chris.”

“Yeah so after our announcement was out I felt like we could focus on other things and I can enjoy my pregnancy.”

“Mhm. Yeah. Well we’ll be right back in a few moments. Right now our viewers will hear from our sponsors.” Joanna ended the first segment and removed her headphone as did Chris and Darren, giving them a short break.

**\---**

“And was it good?”

“I thought it was delicious. Darren, on the other hand, didn’t find it quite so appetizing.” Chris glares at his husband who just shook his head.

“I was definitely not going to be eating a peanut butter and onion sandwich.” Darren supplies.

“Why not? It must’ve tasted so good to your husband. Didn't you experience what they call a sympathy pregnancy when the pregnant person’s partner kinda goes through the same things but without the baby and bump?”

“I did yes, but there was no chance I was going to eat that.” He adds and crosses his arms over his chest. “No way.”

The three of them share a laugh together and Joanna moves onto another subject.

“Now, I know you took up some yoga during your pregnancy. How was that?”

“I loved it.” He proudly states. “I started doing short yoga workouts in the middle of my second trimester just to get myself flexible and be active then did a lot more towards the end of my pregnancy plus it helped during our lamaze and birthing classes.”

“How did that go? Your lamaze and birthing classes? Were either of you surprised by anything you were taught or did you do some prior research.”

“Well I did prior research because I was already so interested, Darren didn’t.” Once again, Chris sent his husband another glare. “Um,” He chuckles. “We hired a private birthing coach to come to our house and provide us with the classes because I didn’t feel comfortable going to a public class. So she came to our house her name was Haley Tealani and she’s a fantastic woman, um, so anyways she came to our house and we went through labor techniques, what to do during contractions, during breaks, support and drive, just about everything and she did a fabulous job, I loved her.

When it came time for us to learn about laboring with contractions and being vocal, Darren lost it. I mean she showed me how to open up and vocalize my pain and when she gave an example, he was cracking up which made me laugh and pee my pants because I literally couldn’t take it. Thankfully, she understood and shared a laugh or two with us but we were able to contain ourselves and continue on with the class.”

“I loved my lamaze instructor. She was such a sweet older woman. Her name was Marie and she was an old soul, but I’m glad I was able to learn more from her.”

“Yeah. But you know I made sure I stayed active whether it was doing yoga or walking on the treadmill, I made sure I did a little bit everyday just to keep my heart rate up and get the blood flowing.”

“Yeah.” She nods and takes another sip of her iced tea. “So it seems like now we’re getting into your third trimester just about?” Chris nods, answering her question. “Did you two find out what you were having prior to birth or did you wait?”

“We actually found out we were having a girl when I was four months pregnant.” He tells her. “We just chose not to announce it because that was the one piece of information we wanted to have only between us and well our families and a very small group of friends.”

“Were you excited when you found out you were having a girl, Darren?”

“I was thrilled! I was getting a little princess, plus I had always dreamt of having a daughter first so it was just so meant to be.” Darren says with a big smile on his face. “Also, it was much easier knowing and buying stuff for her than having to guess and wait to buy something we really wanted. And it also gave us an excuse to go all out for her nursery.”

“That must’ve been fun to design.”

“It was. I designed it myself.” Chris spoke, pointing to himself. “I met two designers who helped bring our daughter’s nursery to life for us and it was absolutely gorgeous. Also, it was featured in Architectural Digest magazine for top ten of the cutest baby nurseries of 2017.”

“Oh wow. I think I remember seeing that some time ago. Was yours the one with the roses on the accent wall and white wood panelling near the crib?”

“Yep! That’s the one!”

“I loved that one! I should’ve known it was for your little one. God, I wish I had a room like that when I was a baby.”

“I know right?” Chris laughs as does Joanna. “But that’s what we wanted for our girl and I’m so happy it came out exactly how I had envisioned it.”

“Well that’s good. Every princess deserves a room like that. I would be in heaven if that was my room or even my daughter’s.”

“That’s how I felt. When it was done I would sometimes just go in there and stayed there for a while imagining her being in there and sleeping or having just woken up excited to see us. She’d be reaching up towards me and I’d pick her up and hold her close to me and just love her even more.” Chris dreamily smiled.

“Oh my goodness that sounds like a lot of expectant parents. I think everyone has that fantasy of seeing their baby in their finished room just well being a baby you know.”

“Yeah.” The three of them laugh and Chris scratches his hand. “Plus I went in there a lot when we had finally settled on a name and I would talk to her while she was still inside my belly. Is that weird or something?”

“Not at all.” Joanna shakes her head. “I think a lot of people do that. Once you have a name for your child and if you know what you’re having it just makes it more real and more exciting, you know? It’s like he or she is actually gonna be there soon and you’re gonna get them for the rest of your life. So, no there’s nothing weird about that at all.”

“Good because I didn’t want to seem like I was losing my mind over it.”  
“Not one bit.” Joanna confirmed. “So you two picked her name before she was born obviously. How did that go?”

“We had chosen the name Ella literally just one night we were in bed and we were watching the Cinderella movie with Lily James and we literally looked at each other and we knew that was her name, Ella. It seems so cliche just I had just thought that name was adorable and would fit her so well.” Chris explained.

“Ella Criss. Has a nice ring to it honestly.”

“Mhm. So since we had her first name we had to find a middle name which wasn’t too hard because we both wanted something that would really bring her name together so we settled on Charlotte. Ella Charlotte Criss.”

“Why the name Charlotte?”

“I don’t know I guess we just collectively liked that name and felt she would too so we chose it.”

“Seems fair enough. It’s a very sophisticated name to withhold for her life so I think she’ll be happy about that as well, plus with you two as her parents and all. She’s one lucky little girl.”

“Yeah but putting up with her the last few weeks of my pregnancy were hell.” Chris groans with another eyeroll. “My god she was wild and so anxious to get out, I was anxious to get her out but she still wasn’t quite ready.”

“Did you end up having her around her due date or did you induce labor?”

“She was born, I think a week before her due date?” Chris looks over at his husband who nods, answering his question.

“Yeah her due date was July twelfth and she was born on July sixth.” Darren responds. “We weren’t expecting her to be born a week before her due date because she hadn’t dropped into position yet but like a day or two after she did, Chris went into labor.”

“Which leads us into me being in labor and her birth.” Chris adds.

“Ahh yes. A lot of our listeners have been patiently waiting to hear the story of how Baby Criss was born.”

Both Chris and Darren, as well as the host were laughing together. “Where should I start?” Chris asks.

“Hmm, whenever you want. This is your story to tell.”

“Alrighty well then I guess I’ll start with prepping for her birth.” Chris begins. “Early on I knew I wanted to have a home birth. Darren was on board and obviously was fine with whatever so we had discussed the idea with our doctor and she recommended me to a midwife, who was a very close friend of hers. We met with the midwife and it was literally like love at first sight, if you will.” Joanna laughs. “I felt safe and comfortable knowing that I had her to help welcome our baby girl into the world. Especially, you know with how insane the world is, I really wanted to have my baby at home with my husband and a good birthing team.”

“Who did your birthing team consist of?”

“Well, my husband, obviously, our midwife, my doula, and our moms. During that time, we were surrounded by empowering women and I was honestly at peace with them all being there for us and supporting us.”

“Wow, that must’ve been really nice for you.”

“It was. You know people don’t usually like a lot of people there because they want to have the moment for themselves, which our moms’ respected and stayed out of the way, but it was very heartwarming knowing they were there for us.”

“Yeah, yeah. So how was your labor? I read somewhere that you were in labor for two days?”

“Yeah.” Chris nods as does Darren. “Believe it or not. Two days of contractions and labor pains was not fun but honestly it was well worth it.”

“Oh I’m sure.” The host says, nodding as well. “When did you first initially go into labor?”

“Um, it was the night of the fourth of July. We didn’t go anywhere, I was so tired and could barely move that we just decided to stay home and spend the day in the pool.”

“Sounds nice.”

“It was. Then, that night when we were in bed I had already been having pre-labor contractions throughout the day. I timed them and they were like half an hour apart so we weren’t really worried because of how spread out they were. I had texted my midwife to let her know and she just told me those were early signs of labor so I should get some rest if I could. So that night I tried to get some sleep and spent most of the night tossing and turning until finally I fell asleep around three in the morning. I slept for a couple hours and woke up with more contractions, they were closer together but not by much so we just stayed in bed until morning.”

“Did you try to get any sleep? Like many suggest?”

“Those couple hours I got were blissful but I woke up around four and it was not so blissful. But anyway it was the next day and my contractions didn’t get too bad until that afternoon. And when I mean bad, they like hit full force.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“I think it was maybe around two something and my midwife had come over as well as my doula and our moms because we thought you know I was already getting close to delivering, which I wasn’t.” Chris shook his head, dismissively. “So anyway they all came over and I was upstairs in our bathroom in the shower because the contractions weren’t already so painful and I tried to keep myself as relaxed as possible.”

“Darren was in the shower with me while everyone just stayed in our bedroom and let us be. As much as I was happy they were there, I still wanted my husband and I to have our privacy because it was a very personal and intimate time for us so I just wanted him with me and no one else.”

“Just them being there though I think helped him a lot.” Darren adds. “Our moms picked up the house for us while his midwife and doula decided to hand affirmations around our room and set up a peaceful and calming birthing area for us to welcome our daughter.”

“My doula was an absolute goddess.” Chris beams. “She was just so amazing, as was our midwife, but Jules was just also on top of the game. She made sure my birthing area was set up how I wanted, she kept encouraging me that I was almost there and I just loved having her there.”

“That’s great. I had wanted to be a doula a while ago because I had one there when I had my first kid and I fell in love with how well they help people, but my life went a different route and led to this.”

“Well you should be proud because you have a very successful podcast, with some pretty extravagant guests, if I do say so myself.”

“Well thank you.” She smiles getting a tad pink in the cheeks.

“No problem. But getting back to the labor, it was rough. I was in the shower for about two hours then got out and had continued to labor in my bedroom. I had my birthing playlist that I made a few weeks prior, playing lightly over the speakers and again stayed as calm as I could. I bounced on the birthing ball for a while and swayed with my husband which helped immensely.”

“Did you guys do what they call the labor dance? When you like move during your contractions and it's considered dancing?” Joanna asks.

“I guess you could call it that?” Chris shrugs. “I don’t know, we never touched base on that during our classes but when I was on my feet during my contractions I’d sway with my hands on my back and began to vocalize so maybe I was labor singing, if you will.”

“Of course.” She smiles.

“Yeah my midwife had suggested I try it and I didn’t hold but because I was just so ready for it to be over and get my baby here, who was taking her sweet time. I think at that point in my labor I was only six centimeters and I know that’s close to pushing but it didn’t seem like enough for me.”

“Right. I totally understand. Darren how did you feel through all the labor and contractions your husband was going through?”

“Well for starters I was amazed at how strong he was because he just pulled through and did it all naturally, completely unmedicated so he was a champ. But from another standpoint, I hated seeing him in that much pain knowing I couldn't physically take it away but mentally I could help him as much as I could. It’s hard because you’re so vulnerable and restless and irritable when you’re in labor and all you want to do is take the pain away from them but you can’t, instead you just give them as much love and support and encouragement they need.”

“You sound like you made an amazing birthing partner.”  
“He was.” Chris looks over at his husband and places his hand on top of Darren’s. “I was so lucky to have him with me during that time. It really meant a lot to me that he was so motivating and supportive, it helped immensely.”

Joanna nods her head in understanding and Chris continues.

“So my labor just worsened throughout the night and I think at about four thirty in the morning the following day I was just done.” He firmly states. “I was at my hardest part of labor. I was tired and miserable and cranky and just wanted her out. I had been in labor for two days straight and felt like I couldn’t go one anymore. I remember I was laying on the bed, completely bare, I was like half on my side crying because I was just so done. I was ready for her to just be there and I didn’t want to be in any more pain. I was seriously doubting myself. Darren was rubbing my back, it was just us in the room and he started talking to me. He was telling me how strong I was, how amazing I was, and that I could do this and he just kept pouring all this support and encouragement to me that it gave me that push to continue. He kept reminding me that I was almost there, I was almost done, I just needed to hang on a bit longer.”

“Did it help?” Joanna asks.

“A ton.” He confirms. “It was like I had taken a red bull because I just pulled through and had continued to labor on the bed. Then not long after I was finally ready to push.”

“So around six forty-five that morning, I was ready to push. I had Darren by my side, my midwife and doula in front of me while our moms’ were just off in the corner watching. I started to push and it hurt, a shit ton, but I kept going. I did like five or six rounds of pushing and her head started to come out but she just stayed there. I pushed for what? Two hours?” Chris asks, looking towards his husband.

“Yeah, you pushed for two hours just about. She didn’t want to come out.” Darren confirms. “The top of her head was there, like I could literally see that she had dark curly hair but she was being so stubborn coming out.”

“Mhm. My doula had gotten a mirror set up just to the side of my midwife so I could and help myself while I was pushing.”

“Did that help you at all?”

“It did.” Chris nods. “But I was just so exhausted and more focused on getting her out, I didn’t really want to look and like study what I was doing.”

“That’s understandable.”

“Yeah so, I pushed for about an hour and a half until she started to fully crown. With her, she crowned twice because the first time she went back in and when I tell you that shit burned, it was awful. They’re not joking about feeling the ring of fire.”

They all laughed and Chris continued.

“When she crowned, my midwife had me put my hand on it and I could feel her hair and I started to cry, not only from the exhaustion but also because like she was almost out. Like we were about to have our baby. Anyway, I pushed some more and her head was out, she was facing up but my midwife wasn’t all that concerned you know. So now that I almost have her out, I was so ready for her to just be out. I was so done. I had a long, miserable labor and she was right there but I had to keep going.”

“My midwife was checking around her neck to make sure she didn’t have the cord, which she didn’t. So, I was told to push again but I just had no energy to do it. My body felt like it was shutting down and the exertion of all the pushing was just adding on top of my exhaustion.”

“Yeah. I was like that with my first baby. It was very hard.”

“Mhm. I literally couldn’t push like my body was refusing and it was frustrating for me because my baby was so so close to being out but then again I still had to work hard to get her here. I looked over at Darren who was holding my leg and he smiled down at me before giving me a kiss telling me that I can do it, that I can get her out and he kept telling me over and over again, giving me that ounce of motivation to birth this baby.”

“So, I started to push again and her shoulders came out. Then my midwife was like, Chris, look down and deliver your daughter and I did.” He shrugs as he begins to choke up. “I…I reached my hands down and had them around her little body, giving another small push until she was out then I b….I brought her up to my chest and she had her eyes open, she was looking at me. I watched her take her first breath before she started to cry and I was just completely overjoyed.”

Chris wipes his fallen tears and thanks the girl after she hands him a tissue.

“I was looking at her and it was like, there she was. I was awestruck. This person we created, that has been inside me for nine months was here, lying on my chest. Like just feeling her skin-to-skin was a moment I’ll never forget. You know, she was pink and had the vernix on her, her hair was dark and curly and she was just the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.”

He smiles as tears continue to stream down his cheeks.

“I remember looking up at Darren while I held her to my chest and we didn’t say anything, we were both crying and smiling at each other but I knew that he was proud of me and telling me that I did it without having to speak. Then there was in person now in our lives that was half of me and half of him and she was ours forever.”

“It’s such a magical and intense moment of joy and happiness seeing your baby for the first time. Nothing can compare.” Joanna tells him.

“Exactly. So we were like in euphoria because she was finally here and we had realized that we were parents, like after waiting all that time we had our daughter.” Chris continues to wipe his tears. “My midwife had wanted me to start nursing right away which was a challenge.”

“Did you struggle with breastfeeding during postpartum?”

“Yes. I struggled a lot.” He nods his head with a slight frown. “It was so hard because she just wouldn’t latch or I wasn’t producing enough milk for her in the beginning and again everyone wants to give you advice but you just don’t want it because you want to be able to do this on your own. So about a month after she was born we met with a lactation consultant and she helped us immensely and after that I was able to breastfeed with no issues, I still breastfeed now but we’re going to start weaning her soon.”

“Yeah. So tell us more about after birth what was it like having those moments with your baby?”

“It was wonderful. She just laid on my chest for a while and I had passed the afterbirth about ten minutes after she was born and Darren cut her cord then my midwife had weighed and measured her and we gave her her first bath together and everything about it was just amazing.”

“Darren how did you feel when you first saw your daughter?”

“I was quite amazed that she was there. I had never seen anyone give birth before so to see my husband bring her into the world was probably the most beautiful thing I ever witnessed. Plus she looked just like me too so it was just a miniature girl version of myself that was born onto my husband’s chest and it felt like I was looking into the past.” Darren smiles, as he thinks back to that day. “I remember when I held her for the first time, we did skin to skin again and I held her to my bare chest and felt her warmth and I just started to cry. I was so in love and intrigued by this little being that was part of me and part of Chris, I never wanted to let her go either. She’s just so amazing.”

“Aww. Well, like I said before she’s pretty lucky to have such great parents like yourselves.”

“Thanks, she definitely keeps us on our toes.”

“She must be almost a year old now?”

“Yeah, come to think of it she’s already ten months. My god, time's been going by so fast.”

“Sure does go by in a flash. That’s what I can’t stand about having kids you blink and they’re already grown up. My youngest just turned four and she’ll be off to kindergarten next year, I’m so not ready to let her go.”

“I hear ya. Ella’s...she’s just something else. Even when she was still inside my belly she was such a diva.”

“Haha, she must get that from her daddy.”

“Oh yeah she gets her sassiness from me that’s for sure.” Darren confirms. “She, uh, she demands my attention all the time. Like sometimes I’ll be sitting on the couch playing my guitar and she'll literally stop my playing and turn my head to face her and give her my attention.”

“Aww, how cute.”

“Yeah. I love her so much because she’s just so damn adorable. She has the biggest blue eyes and she’ll just look at you with them and you can’t help but marvel at how beautiful she is and want to be with her.”

“She’s gonna be a heartbreaker in the future then huh?”

“Oh yeah. But she is such a happy baby. She’s always smiling, she loves when we read to her, and she love love loves her daddy.” Darren began to blush as Chris said that. “She always wants to be with him and I think it’s adorable how much they’re together. She’s his little bear, we call her, because she’ll just cuddle up on his chest and sleep there or she’ll just sit with him whenever he’s watching tv or just relaxing.”

“Aww, so who’s your biggest fan now? Chris or Ella?” She asks Darren.

“Hmm, I honestly don’t know. They’re both my biggest fans but if I had to choose I’d say Ella, only because every time I play something for her she smiles and enjoys watching me put on a show for her, when she’s not wanting me to play with her or just stare at her endlessly.”

“How cute. Has she started crawling or walking?”

“She crawls a lot but she hasn’t walked yet. We’re trying but she’s just not there yet.”

“Yeah.”

“She’s very adventurous too.” Darren adds. “Whenever we go to the park or even in our backyard, Ella always gets her hands in the dirt and has a blast just playing in it. We don’t stop her and just let her be because she enjoys it and tells us all about it in her baby language which is also adorable.”

“She sounds like my kind of girl.”

“Even though she’s a diva she is the sweetest. Like when I had my knee surgery she stayed with me the entire time during my recovery.” Darren says. “Chris had her stay with me and she was only like eight months old, it didn’t happen that long ago and she’d sit with me on the bed and she’d entertain me or sleep with me and we’d just have a great time together.”

“Aww she sounds like a good feel better buddy.”

“She is. She’s the best, I love her so much.”

“I don’t blame you. Are there any more kids in the future for you two?”

“Um I’m not sure. We definitely talked about it but we want to focus on Ella for now and enjoy our time with her.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s understandable.” Joanna sighs and glances up at her producer who signals for her to wrap it up. “Well I guess that brings us to the end of our episode.” She begins and smiles at her guests. “Chris, Darren, thank you so much for coming here today and sharing your story with us, I know myself and your fans greatly appreciate it.”

“Thank you for having us.” Chris says and Darren nods. “We’re glad we were able to come here and share it how we wanted.”

“You’re very welcome. I wish you both the best of luck with Miss Ella and your venture on first time parents to that spunky little girl of yours.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” She says. “Well Birthing Babes we’ll be back next week with a new episode featuring Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt. Those of you who are fans of The Hills this episode’s for you.” And that was it.

Joanna, Chris, and Darren had removed their headphones and all got up from their seats. Their podcast episode was over two hours long but it was good because they shared a lot.

“Thank you so much for coming in today guys.” She goes over and hugs them.

“Thank you for having us, Joanna.” Darren says as he breaks away from their embrace.

“Can I get you guys anything before you leave?” She asks and pulls on her sweater.

“Actually, do you know any good restaurants around here? We were thinking of maybe going for a late lunch.”

“Oh sure. One of my favorite places is Red Dragon. They have the best Japanese food.”

“Hmm, sounds good. Maybe we should check it out.” Chris raises his eyebrows at his husband and Darren nods.

They say another quick goodbye then head out for a late lunch before going back home.

**\---**

Chris and Darren returned back to their house at sunset. They both walked inside and Ashley was standing in the foyer holding Ella who was happy to greet her parents on their arrival.

“Hi sweet girl.” Chris takes her from Ashley and presses a kiss to her cheek. “Did you have fun with Ashy?”

“We had a great time. We had lunch in the garden and she just woke up from her nap.” Ashley tells them while Darren hands her a check for babysitting. “Thanks.”

“No problem, honey.” He tells her and gives her a hug. “Did you ever finish that research project you had to do?”

“Yes! I finished it while she was napping.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah I’m glad I got it done and out of the way.” She tells them as she gathers her things. “Well I’m off to go finish my Stats project.”

“Oof good luck with that. I hated statistics in high school.” Chris comments.

“Yeah it’s not that fun in college either.” She says with a smile. “But I’ll be fine. Thanks again for letting me sit her, we always have fun.”

“Of course. We love having you over, you’re welcome anytime.”  
“Okay, well I guess I better head home before my mom gets worried about me driving at night.” She starts to walk to the door and Darren opens it for her.

“Okay honey. If you ever need us you know where we are.”

“Thanks guys. Bye Ella.” She kisses the baby then makes her way out to her car while Chris and Darren settle on the couch in their living room, relaxing from their day.

Ella was standing on Darren’s lap and had her hands all over his mouth while she babbled them a story all about her day. They were both so interested and just listened, amazed at everything she was “telling” them, interacting with her as she spoke. They were so blessed to have her and just love her so much.

Ella was still speaking then she started to say a word which shocked the both of them. “Da…..” She begins and Darren’s face lit up.

“What baby girl? Go ahead, say it.” He encourages her with a big smile.

“Da...da!” She beams.

“Yes! She said it Chris! Her first word!” Darren squeals and kisses his daughter over and over again. “You said your first word honey. Say it again! Say Dada!”

“Dada!” She does it again this time in one piece and it was the most beautiful thing ever.

“Yes! That’s right honey I’m your dada.” He kisses her then points to Chris. “Who’s that? Say mama. Is that mama?”

“Dada!” She says again and crawls onto Chris lap to give him a wet kiss on the nose. “Dada!”

“I know, I know, you love your dada more than me.” Chris frowns, pretending to be sad but she was not having that and pressed his cheeks together in her little hands and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Aww, you do love me!” He beams and kisses her back.

She was just so cute.

They all ended up cuddled together on the couch enjoying the rest of the evening.


End file.
